Fifteen-year volunteer Maria Dominguez hands out pumpkin pies and other pastries to clients at Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

Community service worker Mario Gonzalez bags fresh pears to give to clients at Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

Cesar Chavez High School student Shienna Retuta of Delano, right, volunteers at Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank. She interviews Maria Ortega, left, and Maria Chaparro, center, for the client intake form as they wait in line. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Jennifer Baldwin and Lisa Pinson

Thanksgiving is a time for not only giving thanks, but also for giving to those in need. Whether it’s a donation of food or volunteer time, there are many local groups this holiday season in need of help with feeding hungry families.

Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank

The line outside the CAPK Food Bank snaked around the parking lot as people huddled with hands in their pockets before opening Monday morning. With Thanksgiving around the corner, many were there for help with serving a holiday meal to their families.

This was the third of the food bank’s five busiest days of the year, said program manager Gary Romriell. But the long line has become commonplace – clients of the food bank have doubled since last year due to the economic recession and the drought, which have put people from office workers to farm workers out of jobs.

“In the past, we’ve served 50 to 60 households per day,” Romriell said. “Now we’re serving about 100.”

On Friday, the food bank processed 400 families, said volunteer Paula Bowersox. That takes a lot of donations, and a lot of volunteers, to make happen.

“This is the holiday. People want to celebrate. So they are here for food to put on the table,” Romriell said.

To put things into perspective, he points to a stack of white boxes full of food collected in the KGET Channel 17 food drive last week. The 26,000 pounds of food will need to be sorted by volunteers before it can be handed out. And even that amount of food will be gone in just a couple of days.

The countywide agency hands out about 800,000 pounds of food each month. That includes food donated by businesses, bought with grant money, and brought in through community food drives. That also includes a lot of volunteer work.

Not only does the food bank need help with sorting and handing out food, it also needs drivers to deliver food to about 2,200 seniors and home-bound clients. Recommended food items to donate include turkey, ham, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, beans, stuffing and potatoes.

The food bank is open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, and is located where East Belle Terrace dead-ends east of Cottonwood Road. For information about donating food or volunteering, call 398-4520.

Bakersfield Homeless Center

The Bakersfield Homeless Center has been blessed with an influx of volunteers, although there is always room for more. To volunteer, ask for volunteer coordinator Jerri Alvarado at 322-9199.

The center is also seeking food donations for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, including turkeys, hams, rolls, sweet potatoes, stuffing, canned cranberry, vegetables and gravy.  For more information about donating food, ask for Barbra Paulson at 322-9199.

Executive Director Louis Gill urges the citizens of Bakersfield to stay active in serving the community year-round. There are approximately 170 people per night at the center that need help. Unfortunately, their needs don’t vanish after Thanksgiving or Christmas.

“Giving back wanes after the year. Please stay engaged,” he said.

Monetary donations can be sent to the Bakersfield Homeless Center, 1600 E. Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93305.

Golden Empire Gleaners

Although this organization started out gleaning harvest left-overs to feed the hungry, it now accepts all types of food donations.

“We will take anything people want to give,” said volunteer Dawn Barnum.

That includes Thanksgiving fixings or anything else this time of year. That also includes fresh foods from people’s gardens as well as canned or boxed foods. The organization has seen about a 35 percent jump in need over last year, Barnum said.

Donations are accepted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1326 30^th Street. The Gleaners also needs volunteers to help sort and box donations. For more information, call 324-2767.